Ways to preserve dead wood

[The Specimen]

I have several pieces of dead wood that I would like to preserve and stop it or delay it from rotting.

Eventual projects would be to attach live veins on some specimens.. ideally junipers that I have.

I read that soaking it for several months is a very good method to preserve wood.

What bath would this be in?

Are there other methods that people have found effective?

Many thanks

Specimen

[bodhidharma]

I have soaked a stump in lime sulphur and water and that seems to do the trick. Not rocket science..i poured a bottle of lime sulphur into a garbage bin, put water in till the stump was submerged, put the lid on and left it for three months shaking the bin on occasion. The stump is now 8 years since soaking and is standing up to the elements well without any rot. it makes a difference what the wood is though. My stump was yellow box.

[Jester]

Try Earl's wood hardener from Bunnings. Unlike Lime Sulphur it won't bleach the wood. Initially when you apply it, it is like the colour of skim milk but then it turns to clear as it dries.

Hope this helps

John

[Jason]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I just had a question and didn't want to start a new one.

I was wandering some bush trails last weekend, and came across some nice pieces of deadwood in some old creek beds, that I would like to practice some carving on.

I'm not planning on attaching anything to it yet (bit beyond my skill level), but I still like the look of the drift/dead wood, and would like to preserve it, and touch it up with some carving.

Now from what I've read in a few different threads, Wood Hardener (Earl's?) seems to preserve, while maintaining the original colour of the wood, whereas Lime Sulpher has a bleaching affect. Is there any other difference between the two?

Cheers

[Bougy Fan]

Earls does have a satin sheen on it but it soaks in and does actually preserve the wood. It also says on the bottle that you can't use it on wood previously treated with lime. So I think you have to pick one method or the other at the beginning.

[Ces]

I think this is appropriate to post here...

lets say you want to take some extra measures to preserve the deadwood as it's prone to rot (e.g. Casuarina or Ficus) and earl's wood hardener is out of the question because you've already applied lime sulphur. If there's is no rot present, what about a low sheen oil, like teak oil for example? I think i remember reading an old post on here where a member had mentioned adding a few drops of motor oil to lime sulphur. Thinking about it logically, I reckon it would help (I'd probably start with teak oil though). I have never tried it however, so really I have no idea.

Would like to hear anyone's opinion on this.

Cheers,

Ces.

[Ulf]

From my experience as a furniture maker, we used to harden and preserve timber with either a very thin wash of blonde shellac applied multiple times. It must be well thinned down so it penetrates as much as possible. Another method was to use thinned Cyanoacrylate (super glue) washed into the surface. I believe both methods are non toxic when dry and was used to harden soft or punky timbers. I have not tried either of these methods for use in an exposed conditions though.
Outdoor furniture was often traditionally preserved with linseed oil. Over time it will dry completely and almost petrifies the timber if it is absorbed well enough. I have preserved timber this way by soaking it in 50% dilute Raw linseed oil to gum turpentine for a few months and then letting it dry under cover for another few months. Again, no clue if this has any use in Bonsai.